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I am extremely grateful...
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To my employer, Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, for funding the last two years of my graduate school education.
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To Washington State University, for selecting me as a Distinguished Regents Scholar and supporting both my undergraduate and graduate studies.
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To the members of my committee, Dr. David Bakken and Clint Cole. Thank you for taking the time to participate in this process.
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To Dr. Mitchell Myjak and the rest of the HiPerCopS research group, for developing the HiPerCopS medium-grain reconfigurable hardware architecture.
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To Dr. Jos\'{e} G. Delgado-Frias, my mentor and guide throughout this journey. I was honored to be a part of you research group, and I have benefitted greatly from your expertise in the field. Thank you for your patience, encouragement, and feedback.
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To my parents, Roland and Melissa Robinson. You taught me the value of a good education, and you have always encouraged me to reach my full potential.
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To my wonderful wife Kristen, you are my strongest supporter and my best friend. Thank you for giving me perspective and for believing in me at every step along the way. I couldn't have done this without you.

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